French toast: a dish nobody has studied, made of parts everybody has

We found no trial on French toast. No study in our corpus fed anyone egg-dipped bread and measured what happened, so everything on this page is about the parts: the egg, the bread and the pan. The one paper that carries the name, a 1988 glycaemic test, was measuring a French twice-baked rusk. Its glycaemic index of 99 percent against 115 for plain white bread was within noise on 12 people. The dish itself is what you would expect from bread fried in egg and milk. USDA puts the recipe version at 229 kcal and 10.8 g of fat per 100 g, the frozen supermarket kind at 213 kcal and 6.1 g, and survey codes run from 162 to 273 kcal. A single slice in the survey weighs 65 g and comes to about 177 kcal with 196 mg of sodium. Two things about the egg are reasonably clear, though neither rests on a large trial. In a study of 10 people, cooked egg protein was almost fully absorbed, with 5.73 percent escaping digestion against 35.1 percent when the egg was raw. And a raw or barely set egg is a salmonella question. Across 35 case-control studies, which are observational, eating raw eggs sat with travel and restaurant meals among the leading risk factors for the infection. Everything else here, from acrylamide in the crust to what a diabetic breakfast does to blood sugar, was measured in bread or egg on their own and then carried over to the plate by us.

The numbers, per 100 g

How much is actually in it

• Per 100 g, USDA gives recipe French toast 229 kcal, 10.8 g fat and 0.31 ug vitamin B12 against 213 kcal, 6.1 g fat and 1.68 ug B12 for the frozen product. Survey codes span 162 to 273 kcal. — USDA SR Legacy records 174998 and 172763 and FNDDS 2024-10-31 codes 2708331, 2708332, 2708334, 2708335 (n = 2 SR Legacy records, 4 FNDDS codes) Evidence E source
  Fat 6.1-10.8 g, cholesterol 82-116 mg, B12 0.31-1.68 ug, selenium 16.7-20.1 ug per 100 g; energy 162-273 kcal per 100 g across forms

What a real portion looks like

• One slice of French toast is 65 g in USDA survey data, carrying about 177 kcal and 196 mg sodium, computed from 273 kcal and 302 mg per 100 g. — US household measures, What We Eat in America food code 55300010 Evidence E source
  1 slice, any size = 65 g; 177.4 kcal and 196.3 mg sodium per slice (recalculated from 100 g)

What your body absorbs

• In 10 healthy volunteers, 35.1% of raw egg protein escaped digestion in the small intestine versus 5.73% of cooked egg protein. — 10 healthy volunteers, 25 g isotope-labelled egg protein eaten once cooked and once raw (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Unabsorbed protein 5.73% cooked vs 35.10% raw (P < 0.005)
• In two crossover trials (16 men, 17 women), eating 75 to 150 g of cooked whole egg did not change plasma total cholesterol over 10 hours, while triglycerides rose. — 16 men (0, 75 or 150 g cooked whole egg) and 17 women (0 or 100 g), with vegetables (n = 33) Evidence B source
  No difference in plasma total-cholesterol AUC 0-10 h, triacylglycerol AUC 0-10 h increased

What cooking and storage change

• In 153 US restaurants, 54% pooled raw shell eggs ahead of time, and pooled eggs for pancakes and French toast were held a median of 6 hours. — 153 restaurants serving breakfast egg entrees in seven US states (n = 153) Evidence C source
  54% pooled eggs, median holding 6 h for pancakes and French toast, 26% stored eggs at room temperature
• USDA food safety guidance says dishes containing eggs should reach an internal temperature of 160 F. — Home cooks preparing egg dishes in the US Evidence E source
  Minimum internal temperature 160 F (71 C)
• A meta-analysis of 28 laboratory studies of wheat-based foods put the highest pooled processing-contaminant level on acrylamide, at 136.29 micrograms per kg, formed when bread and other wheat products are browned. — 28 laboratory studies measuring acrylamide, HMF and PAHs in bread, cookies, pasta and wheat grain (n = 28 studies) Evidence D source
  Pooled acrylamide 136.29 ug/kg, HMF 70.59 ug/kg, PAHs 0.11 ug/kg
• FDA advises toasting bread to a light brown rather than dark brown colour, because very brown areas contain the most acrylamide. — US consumers preparing bread and other starchy foods at home Evidence E source
  Lighter toasting lowers acrylamide; no number given by the agency

What it does to your health

• In 8 insulin-treated adults with type 2 diabetes, a breakfast of eggs, toasted wholemeal bread, orange juice, margarine and milk gave a glucose response of 104.3 mg h/dl, more than double the 46.8 mg h/dl after toasted muesli with skim milk. Wheatflake biscuits with the same toast gave a similar response. — 8 insulin-treated patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes, three isocaloric test breakfasts in random order (n = 8) Evidence B source
  Plasma glucose AUC 104.3 +/- 23.0 (eggs and toast) vs 104.9 +/- 21.6 (wheatflakes and toast) vs 46.8 +/- 8.8 mg h/dl (muesli), P < .02

Safety, limits and interactions

• A meta-analysis of 35 case-control studies found eating raw eggs among the most important risk factors for sporadic salmonellosis. — 35 case-control studies of sporadic Salmonella infection (n = 35 studies) Evidence C source
  Raw eggs ranked with travel and restaurant eating as leading risk factors (pooled odds ratios)

What people believe that the data does not support

• In 12 healthy adults, toasted rusk made from white bread gave a glycaemic index of 99% versus 115% for the same white bread, a difference that was not significant. — 12 healthy volunteers (8 women, 4 men), about 24 years old, 35 g carbohydrate portions in random order (n = 12) Evidence B source
  GI white bread 115%, toasted rusk 99%, bran rusk 87% (all NS)
• A meta-analysis of 32 epidemiological publications found dietary acrylamide unrelated to most common cancers, with only kidney cancer at borderline risk (RR 1.20, 95% CI 1.00-1.45) for highest versus lowest intake. — 32 cohort and case-control publications up to July 2014, 14 cancer sites (n = 32 publications) Evidence C source
  Summary RR high vs low intake 0.87-1.14 across sites; kidney RR 1.20 (95% CI 1.00-1.45)

Who this works differently for

• Among 5876 US children, oatmeal breakfast eaters scored 4 to 16 points higher on diet quality than children eating other breakfasts, pancakes, waffles and French toast among them. — 5876 children aged 2-18, NHANES 2011-2014 (n = 5876) Evidence C source
  HEI-2015 total score 4-16 points higher for oatmeal breakfasts than other breakfasts or skipping

What is still unknown

• No study has measured acrylamide in French toast itself, and the only pooled acrylamide figure comes from bread, cookies and pasta, with whole regions of the world lacking any commercial-sample data. — 28 laboratory studies of wheat-based foods worldwide (n = 28 studies) Evidence D source
  Gap named by the review: no data for some regions and no dish-level values; level depends on process parameters and ingredients

The bottom line

Cook it through. The USDA food safety rule for dishes containing egg is an internal temperature of 160 F, and a slice with a wet, custardy centre has probably not reached it. That matters more when the batter has been sitting. In a 2004 survey of 153 US restaurants, 54 percent pooled raw eggs ahead of time, the bowl meant for pancakes and French toast waited a median of 6 hours, and 26 percent of the restaurants kept eggs at room temperature. Nobody counted infections in that survey. It describes the practice, and whether anyone got sick from it was never measured. The brown crust is where the other safety question lives. Acrylamide forms when bread and other wheat foods brown, and a pooling of 28 laboratory studies put the average at 136.29 micrograms per kg in wheat-based products, none of them French toast. The human evidence so far is less alarming than the word suggests. A meta-analysis of 32 cohort and case-control publications found dietary acrylamide unrelated to most common cancers, with kidney cancer the only site at the edge of significance, a relative risk of 1.20 whose confidence interval starts at exactly 1.00. Those studies estimated intake from food questionnaires, a weak way to measure a chemical, so read the finding as reassuring rather than final. The FDA advice is to toast to light brown and leave the very dark patches, and the agency gives no number for how much that saves. On blood sugar, the closest thing we have is a 1986 trial in 8 insulin-treated adults with type 2 diabetes. A breakfast of eggs, toasted wholemeal bread, orange juice, margarine and milk produced a glucose response of 104.3 mg h/dl, more than double the 46.8 after toasted muesli with skim milk. The egg was not what set that number apart. A breakfast of wheatflake biscuits with the same toast gave 104.9, practically the same, and only the muesli meal came out lower. That was toast eaten alongside egg rather than soaked in it, in eight people, forty years ago. If you have diabetes, treat French toast as the bread it is made from and check your own meter. The cholesterol in the egg is the worry most people bring to this dish, and in the short run it did not show. In two crossover trials on 33 adults, 75 to 150 g of cooked whole egg eaten with vegetables did not change plasma total cholesterol over the following ten hours, though triglycerides did rise. That is a ten-hour measurement with vegetables on the plate, and it says nothing about years of breakfasts. The frozen product, by the way, carries 1.68 micrograms of vitamin B12 per 100 g against 0.31 in the recipe version, a difference in how the product is made and no reason to buy it. For children the only data lumps French toast in with pancakes and waffles. Among 5876 US children, those who ate oatmeal for breakfast scored 4 to 16 points higher on a diet quality index than children eating other breakfasts, pancakes, waffles and French toast among them. That is a snapshot of eating habits, so it tells you about the whole household more than about the slice. What we cannot tell you is who should skip it. Our cards hold nothing on egg, wheat or milk allergy in this dish, nothing on pregnancy or older adults and undercooked egg beyond the general salmonella finding, nothing on medicines, and nothing on how soaking and frying change the nutrients in the bread. Nobody has measured acrylamide in French toast itself either. The dish is studied only through its parts, and this page stops where they do.

Sources

1. frt-c2-13 · reference dataset
   SR Legacy 174998 French toast, prepared from recipe, made with low fat (2%) milk: energy 229 kcal, fat 10.8 g, cholesterol 116 mg, selenium 20.1 ug, riboflavin 0.321 mg, vitamin B12 0.31 ug per 100 g || SR Legacy 172763 French toast, frozen, ready-to-heat: energy 213 kcal, fat 6.1 g, cholesterol 82 mg, selenium 16.7 ug, riboflavin 0.381 mg, vitamin B12 1.68 ug per 100 g || FNDDS energy per 100 g: school 162, frozen 183, NFS 273, plain 273 kcal
   USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy (published 2019-04-01) and FNDDS 2024-10-31 · checked 2026-09-23
2. frt-c2-12 · reference dataset
   French toast, NFS [2708331] 1 slice, any size 65 g || Energy 273 KCAL per 100 g, 1 slice 177.4 KCAL || Sodium, Na 302 MG per 100 g, 1 slice 196.3 MG
   USDA FoodData Central survey foods (FNDDS) 2024-10-31, fdc_id 2708331 · checked 2026-09-23
3. frt-b2-02 · clinical trial
   Amounts of 5.73% and 35.10% (P < 0.005) of cooked and raw test meal, respectively, escaped digestion and absorption in the small intestine.
   Am J Physiol, 1999 · checked 2026-09-23
4. frt-b2-03 · RCT
   For study 1, 16 men consumed raw vegetables with no egg, 75 g CWE, or 150 g CWE. For study 2, 17 women consumed cooked vegetables with no egg or 100 g CWE. ... In both studies, whole egg consumption did not affect plasma total-cholesterol AUC0⁻10h, while triacylglycerol AUC0⁻10h was increased.
   Nutrients, 2018 · checked 2026-09-23
5. frt-b2-05 · prevalence survey
   Fifty-four percent (83 of 153) of restaurants pooled raw shell eggs not intended for immediate service. These pooled eggs were held a median of 4 h for scrambled eggs, 5.5 h for omelets, and 6 h for pancakes and French toast.
   J Food Prot, 2004 · checked 2026-09-23
6. frt-b2-07 · guidance
   Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
   USDA FSIS, Shell Eggs from Farm to Table · checked 2026-09-23
7. frt-c2-09 · meta-analysis of food analyses
   Of the 1479 results, 28 were included for a meta-analysis. ... The highest concentration was for acrylamide (136.29 µg·kg-1) followed by HMF (70.59 µg·kg-1) and PAHs (0.11 µg·kg-1).
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-23
8. frt-c2-11 · guidance
   Toasting bread to a light brown color, rather than a dark brown color, lowers the amount of acrylamide (see Picture B). Very brown areas should be avoided, since they contain the most acrylamide.
   FDA, Acrylamide and Diet, Food Storage, and Food Preparation (page dated 2024-03-05) · checked 2026-09-23
9. frt-c2-08 · RCT
   The postprandial PG, SI, and CP responses to two of the test breakfasts (meal A: eggs, toasted wholemeal bread, orange juice, margarine, and milk; meal B: wheatflake biscuits, toasted wholemeal bread, milk, and margarine) were similar ... Meal C, consisting of toasted muesli and skim milk, produced smaller glycemic and insulin responses (46.8 +/- 8.8 mg X h X dl-1; P less than .02
   Diabetes Care, 1986 · checked 2026-09-23
10. frt-b2-04 · meta-analysis of observational studies
    Thirty-five Salmonella case-control studies were identified. ... Results suggested that travel, predisposing factors, eating raw eggs, and eating in restaurants were the most important risk factors for salmonellosis.
    Epidemiol Infect, 2012 · checked 2026-09-23
11. frt-b2-01 · RCT
    The mean results of the glycemic indexes were: WB = 115 +/- 17%; FT = 99 +/- 21%; BFT = 87 +/- 21% (NS)
    Diabete Metab, 1988 · checked 2026-09-23
12. frt-c2-10 · meta-analysis of observational studies
    The RR was of borderline significance only for kidney cancer (RR = 1.20; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.00-1.45). ... This systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies indicates that dietary acrylamide is not related to the risk of most common cancers.
    Int J Cancer, 2015 · checked 2026-09-23
13. frt-b2-06 · cross-sectional
    Dietary intake data from 5876 children aged 2-18 years were divided by breakfast food consumption: oatmeal breakfasts, "Doughnuts, sweet rolls, pastries", "Pancakes, waffles, French toast", "Eggs and omelets", "Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar", and "Ready-to-eat cereal, higher sugar"
    Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-09-23
14. frt-c2-14 · systematic review of food analyses
    Acrylamide is the main processing contaminant researched, and no studies on the subject have been found in commercial samples in some regions of the world.
    Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-23